Side car the crib before or after the homebirth?

[lunarlady]

(x-posted in homebirth)

I'm planning my second HB in August. I birthed DD#1 on our bed.

For the new little one, we are planning on sidecaring the crib to our bed and cosleeping. Reading online it sounds like this is not a super complicated procedure, but it does involve bungee cording the crib to the adult bed, using foam to level the crib mattress or adding foam to the edges to prevent shifing, and, of course, making both the crib and bed up with sheets and bedding.

I'm looking to sidecar because DD#1 (now 3) still sometimes sleeps between DH and I, so the sidecar would allow me to sleep between the two kids for the safety of all involved.

So here's the question. Do I sidecar the crib before or after the birth? I'm worried that if I do it before, it will get in the way of the midwifes during the birth if I end up on the bed again, and it does make changing the sheets quite a pain. If I do it after, then I will need to get out of the bed to allow DH/family to sidecar the crib and with DD#1, I didn't get out of bed for at least 2 days after the birth. I also have this sort of obsession about things like that, and I worry that my DH/family won't make it as level or as gap free as I, the obsessive nesting mother, would.

What to do? Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks!

[rhiOrion]

If your crib is stable without the 4th side and your bed doesn't move easily, then I don't think you need to do it before the birth. I don't think it needs to be perfectly attached at first, honestly. Have a pool noodle handy to fill in the gap between the crib mattress and crib frame.

If your bed moves too easily you can get some little rubber cup things that go over the wheels. This has made it so our bed doesn't roll at all. We haven't used bungees of any sort. I only put the pool noodle in yesterday, at two months old. Before that i just had some old sheets rolled up in the gap.

Unless your newborn has some freakishly early ability to roll over, I think you're okay waiting.

I still need to get some foam or something for mine. Actually, I think I'll go post my own thread about that!